The Doggie Will See You Now: Understanding Therapy Dogs and Animal-Assisted Therapy
Posted: January 24, 2023
As awareness of the need for quality mental health services is growing, some providers are turning to alternative methods beyond traditional talk therapy. While sitting down with a professional and processing emotions can certainly be helpful, some patients may want something a little different. For example, some patients may prefer hands-on mental health care, such as that provided via art therapy or music therapy. Another option that is becoming more common is animal-assisted therapy. Learn what this method entails below.
What is Animal-Assisted Therapy?
Before diving into the benefits of animal-assisted therapy, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of what this method involves. In most cases, animal-assisted therapy is not a stand-alone method; instead, it is intended to be an add-on to other services, like psychotherapy or supportive counseling. In most cases, animal-assisted therapy utilizes dogs who have been trained to be especially calm and obedient in order to provide a therapeutic presence for patients experiencing a range of medical or mental health conditions. Before a dog can participate in animal-assisted therapy, the dog and its owner must undergo training. Owners of therapy dogs are generally referred to as “handlers.” Once a dog and his or her owner have completed training and certification, they can begin visiting with patients. A dog may visit a patient for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the patient to pet and interact with it, which is believed to confer a therapeutic benefit.The Benefits of Therapy Dogs
If you’re interested in learning more about animal-assisted therapy, you’re probably wondering if this modality is effective. Fortunately, researchers have conducted numerous studies on the benefits of animal-assisted therapy, and the results have been positive. Here are some key benefits {see note}- Reduction in makers associated with cardiovascular stress
- Improved immune system functioning
- Decreases in fatigue and stress level
- Improvement in mood disturbance
- Reduction in symptoms of pain
Understanding the Terminology
There is solid evidence demonstrating that therapy dogs are beneficial as an add-on treatment for patients with mental health conditions, but sometimes, people confuse therapy dogs with closely-related terms, such as service dogs and emotional support dogs. While each of these types of dogs can be beneficial, it’s important to understand that there are differences among them. Here is a straightforward explanation of each term:- Therapy Dogs: As indicated herein, therapy dogs are trained to be calm and obedient in order to provide a therapeutic benefit to patients living with a number of physical and mental health conditions. Their handlers, who are also trained, take therapy dogs to a variety of settings to support patients. A therapy dog may work with numerous different people.
- Service Dogs: Service dogs are specially trained to meet the needs of a person with a disability. For instance, a service dog may be trained to guide a person who is blind, or they may be trained to recognize seizures when working for a person with epilepsy. Service dogs are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which means that service dogs are permitted to be in public places with their owners, including restaurants, stores, and libraries.
- Emotional Support Dogs: While not service dogs per the ADA, emotional support dogs are trained to relieve symptoms like anxiety and distress for a specific person. They are companion animals who support someone with a psychological condition. To be an official emotional support animal, a doctor or medical provider must write a prescription for an emotional support dog. While rights are limited for owners, housing laws indicate that there must be “reasonable accommodations” to allow emotional support dogs to reside in locations that don’t typically allow pets.